Ottawa Insider

Instead, governments around the world, including Canada, expect to go in the opposite direction — producing more coal, oil or natural gas, which will result in more than double what is consistent with the Paris Agreement.

Ecosystem restoration, green bonds and energy retrofits are all part of the federal economic update.

The Department of National Defence has released its Defence Energy and Environment Strategy for the 2020-23 period and expects to cut its pollution by 265 kilotonnes by 2030.

One oilpatch CEO argues any government investment in capturing carbon dioxide is misguided because it ignores another greenhouse gas, methane, that is a more potent atmospheric heat-trapper over a shorter period and has been proven to be a bigger problem for the industry than previously thought.

The president of the Canadian Labour Congress says setting climate targets will have to go hand-in-hand with developing a strategy around protecting workers.

Marine refuges are still counted toward Canada's conservation target, up until the point at which oil drilling begins. That turns them into "ever-receding jigsaw puzzles," says Ecology Action Centre.

“What we’re trying to do is create a set of accountability norms that will put an exceptionally high degree of pressure on both the present and future federal administrations,” says Liberal parliamentary secretary Will Amos.

Environmental questions remain about using large amounts of fossil fuels to produce hydrogen gas, even if it does lead to lower transport emissions.

“Canadian pension funds can’t credibly claim to understand the financial risks of the climate crisis at the same time that they're investing in the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure,” says Shift: Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board announced Nov. 4 that it had accepted a bid from BP Canada Energy Group ULC for 264,500 hectares of ocean in exchange for $27 million in work commitments.

Canada was one of seven nations that increased the amount of public finance committed to the industry, on average, between 2014 and 2018.

The Green party’s parliamentary leader and MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands has raised the issue twice in the House of Commons and written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging him to protest the rules surrounding new U.S. navy tests, including torpedoes, sonar technology and underwater drones. 

“The Canadian government needs to stop bending over backwards to the big oil lobby and oil-friendly provincial governments at the expense of public health and action on the climate emergency,” says Environmental Defence.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said “all drilling projects must respect high environmental standards” after a Bloc Québécois MP raised questions about a government rule change meant to help industry.

The climate emergency “will be orders of magnitude greater in severity” than what has happened with COVID-19, said Iron & Earth director Bruce Wilson.